Kiwis likely to bank on dual-spin attack

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A young Michael Clarke fan watches the Australian team train at Adelaide Oval yesterday.Photo: Getty Images

New Zealand's think-tank surveyed the Adelaide Oval wicket and
announced the likelihood of playing two spinners.

Meanwhile, Australia's most miserly and effective tweaker -
statistically, at least - believes he is unlikely to bowl a ball in
this Test, despite the outstanding figures he posted last time
Ricky Ponting called on his services.

Michael Clarke, with a bowling average of 2.16 and strike rate
of 7.3 from five Tests, is certain that Adelaide local Darren
Lehmann will be Australia's part-time spinner when the second Test
begins tomorrow.

His comments come as NZ flagged its intentions to select both
Daniel Vettori and Paul Wiseman for the Test, hopeful the move
proves more successful than its seamer-heavy strategy in
Brisbane.

Since claiming 6-9 on a deteriorating Mumbai pitch recently,
Clarke has bowled just once - for Western Suburbs in a Sydney grade
match against Sutherland. He went wicketless.

Not that the 23-year-old is relying on bowling to hold his place
in the Australian XI. Fresh from a sublime, match-turning century
at the Gabba last week, Clarke enters his sixth Test with a batting
average of 67.62 and a sense of self-belief rarely seen in batsmen
of his age and experience.

"Darren's proven he's taken a lot of great wickets for Australia
so I think they will throw Darren the ball before they do me,"
Clarke said yesterday, when asked whether Ponting would call on his
left-arm finger spinners in Adelaide. "I was just concentrating on
scoring runs and taking catches (in the first Test)."

The Kiwis are desperately searching for some kind of boost as
they try to level the series, and left-arm tweaker Vettori expected
Wiseman to come under serious consideration.

Already missing firepower in the form of Shane Bond and Chris
Cairns, NZ cannot even call on the mental expertise of its regular
sports psychologist, Gilbert Enoka, because he is on duty with the
All Blacks.

Fast bowler Chris Martin suggested the psychological help would
not be necessary. "We're not a team with a glass jaw," he said.
"We're hoping we can get back up off the canvas and go 12 rounds
this time."

What NZ can gain from Wiseman, an off spinner who has taken 55
wickets in 21 matches at a very modest average of 43.98, remains to
be seen. "I'd be surprised if it wasn't looked into, because of the
state of the wicket. Now it looks like a good wicket so in two
days' time it will probably be even better," Vettori said. "That
normally means there's going to be a lot of overs for the spinners
and come the third and fourth innings they could have a big part to
play."

Vettori drew particular encouragement from the performance of
Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble during India's match-winning
performance at Adelaide Oval last summer.

"Kumble got a few wickets but he bowled a lot of overs so I
expect it will be pretty much the same here," he said.

Vettori, who bowled admirably and was used almost like a stock
bowler in the first Test at the Gabba, taking 4-154, said he would
not change his tactics in the more spin-friendly Adelaide
conditions.

"You've got to understand the batsmen you're playing against,
and if you try to flight the ball and play like that against these
batsmen, they're going to clear the ropes more often than not," he
said.

"So while it looks nice, flighting the ball up and doing all
those sorts of things, it's not the way you get Australian batsmen
out. I've learnt that in the past, having success against them, so
I'm not going to try anything different in this Test."

The Kiwis yesterday announced that Cairns, Chris Harris and
Andre Adams would join the squad for next month's one-day
Chappell-Hadlee series.

NZ batsman Craig McMillan, meanwhile, has shown the strain of a
tough week by verbally lashing out at a media photographer
yesterday.

McMillan has been in the spotlight following his fiery exchange
over walking with Adam Gilchrist in Australia's first-Test victory
and let his temper boil over during the first net session in
Adelaide.

McMillan, who is fighting to keep his place in the side, took
issue with the photographer when bowling his medium-pacers to the
player in line to replace him, Hamish Marshall.